Drop bottom container for compacted loads



June 11, 1968 R, J, HOCH 3,387,878

DROP BOTTOM CONTAINER FOR COMPACTED LOADS Filed Aug. 29, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /jfi l" M 40 5 m 1! J I] a JZ 1/ i x I )4 /J 2 A)! 4 5 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,387,878 DROP BOTTOM CONTAINER FOR COMPACTED LOADS Robert J. Pioch, R0. Box 260, Jackson, Mich. 49204 Filed Aug. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 575,719 6 Claims. (Cl. 294-69) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The preferred drop bottom container construction disclosed is intended to be filled with Waste material, compacted and pressurized therein by means of stationary compaction-type loading apparatus. The container has a loading port in its front wall. The loading port is unobstructedly connected with the open bottom when the bottom is dropped, and the sides and top of the port are bounded by stiff frame portions rigidly carried by the fixed front wall of the container. A displaceable still portion is movably attached to the drop bottom of the container and frames the bottom of the port when the drop bottom is closed. The drop bottom is hinged along the lower rear wall and the displaceable sill is hinged to the front edge of the drop bottom in such manner that when the bottom is closed the sill is aligned with the remainder of the frame structure of the loading port. Securing means for the sill releasably holds it in the closed, framing position and acts as a tiebar restraining separation of the sidewalls and other attached parts, including the side jambs of the frame structure, and such securing means also releasably holds the drop bottom closed.

The present invention relates to an improved container which is adapted to serve as a receptacle into which refuse or other material to be transported can be loaded by ram-type injecting means and within which the load may be held under pressure during transportation, so that a greater quantity of compactable material may be conveyed in the container than would otherwise be possible. The improved container of the present invention is adapted to be loaded by compacting means constructed and arranged substantially in accordance with the disclosure of my United States Patent No. 3,250,414, granted May 10, 1966. The container of the present invention is so designed as to achieve certain important benefits when embodied in a container of smaller size than the type shown in said patent, and where it is desired to provide a container which can be emptied by dumping from the bottom, rather than by tilting the container, as is advantageous with certain types of transporting and lifting equipment.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved container of the indicated character which is so designed that it may be quickly and effectively emptied.

Another object is to provide an improved drop bottom container which is of great strength in proportion to its weight, highly resistant to deformation and unwanted distortion due to the ramming pressure, and which is so designed that during dumping it is not only opened at the bottom but also is unobstructed on one Wall for a substantial distance up from the bottom, the arrangement being such that the tendency of the load to re-expand acutally assists in dislodgment of the load from the container and overcomes a tendency previously encountered with containers of this class for the load to bind and hang up in the container, rather than falling therefrom.

Another object is to provide an improved container of the indicated character having a bottom and front wall which are both opened during dumping, but which is so designed that the side walls are effectively tied by tension members and braced against lateral deformation at all times.

Other objects and advantages Will be apparent upon consideration of the present disclosure in its entirety.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container constructed in accordance with my present invention showing the same closed and ready for coupling to a compacting unit;

FIGURE 2 is a similar perspective view showing the container with the bottom open and the parts in the positions they occupy during and immediately after dumping of a load;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary front elevated View on a larger scale of a lower front corner portion, showing the hinging and fastening means for the displaceable sill and FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view looking from the left of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawing, my improved container is preferably fabricated by welding from sheet or plate steel, having side walls 10, a back wall 12 and a top wall 14. Upper portions 11 of the side walls are inclined inwardly toward the top, which assists the load to drop free, although a substantial taper is not required with con tainers which are relatively wide and deep in proportion to their height, as in the preferred construction illustrated. A fixed front wall portion 15 is provided extending downwardly from the top through only a portion of the height of the container. The wall portions thus far described are not only rigidly secured together by Welding but are also preferably stiffened against deformation, as by transverse rib members 16 extending across the top, vertical ribs 18 secured to the interior of the back wall 12, and bottom ribs 20 which also serve as skids. The front wall area below the wall portion 15 is substantially open to define a loading port 22 which is centered in and somewhat narrower than the box and bounded on either side by narrow vertical front wall portion 24. The front Wall portion 24 and the side Wall portions 10, 11 may be internally tied together near the front vertical corners by angularly positioned gusset plates 36 Welded in position as shown.

The margins of the ramming port are stiffened by side jambs 25 and a header 26, formed of rigid channel members. All of the parts thus far described are integrated by welding, and define a generally box-like container which is substantially complete except for the bottom, the ramming port area, and the bottom jamb of the port area.

The sheet steel floor of the box is hinged at 32 along its rear edge upon a hinge axis located at the bottom of the rear wall 12. The hinges are covered by a fixed inclined sill-like shield 37. Side plate portions 33 integral with the bottom wall 30 extend upwardly therefrom and overlap the side walls 10, preferably being'Of a height and shape such as to overlap the side walls partially, also, when the bottom is opened to a wide angle, as shown in FIGURE 2, representing its intended maximum opening. Hook-like abutments 35 are rigidly secared to and project outwardly from the side plate portions 33.

The fioor panel 36 carries a laterally displaceable sill member 28 for the ramming port. The bottom is normally held closed by releasable holding means constituted in part by sill 28 which is formed of a stiff channel member carried by hinge arms 40 pivotally supported by coaxial bolts 42 parallel to the main hinge axis and carried by lugs 44 secured to the lower surface of the floor and projecting forwardly from the free edge thereof and shown as fastened to fore-and-aft angle iron members 47 which are in turn fastened to bottom cross braces 49. When the bottom 30 is closed, the sill 28 is swingable about the pivot bolts 42, to and from a closed position in which it is in alignment with and underlies jambs 25 to complete the framing of. the port 22. In such closed position the end portions of sill 28 overlie abutment blocks 45 secured to the front wall portions 24 spacedly beneath the jambs 25 and at such time the sill holds the bottom closed. When the sill is swung outwardly from such overlying position with respect to the blocks 45, the bottom is free to drop to permit the load to fall from the container.

A rod 48 extends longitudinally beneath the sill and is fixed relatively thereto. Rod 48 projects through and beyond the hinge arms 40 and when the sill is in the closed position the projecting ends of rod 48 lie in, and extend outwardly beyond, slotted portions 51 formed in lug plates 50 secured to front wall portions 24 of the container. The ends of rod 48 are threaded to receive collared nuts 52 which when tightened extend slightly into counter bored recessed portions 54 of the slotted areas 51 to thereby lock the sill 28 and the drop bottom in the closed position. It will be seen that when so secured the bar also acts as a tension member opposing outward movement of the side portions of the box.

A pair of grappling lugs 53 are provided, one secured to each side wall of the container near the front corner and projecting laterally therefrom. Lugs 53 are adapted to cooperate with fastening means (not shown) by means of which the container is adapted to be rigidly but realeasably secured to a compacting unit (not shown) which preferably corresponds to the compacting unit disclosed in my aforementioned US. Patent 3,250,414. Such compacting and fastening means are now well known in the trade. When the container is so secured to the compactor, the ram of the compactor is projectible through the port 22, and partially into the container, to load and then tightly compress material within the container, the ram being retractable to a distance away from the port and into a loading hopper for refuse or other material to be containerized, so that such material is pushed into and compressed within the container by subsequent forward movement of the ram. The ram is proportioned to fit accurately against the side jambs and the bottom sill 28, but preferably is not as high as the port, so that the top of the ram is spaced below the header 26, as disclosed in said patent. As also disclosed in said prior patent, after the container is filled and compacted, the load may be retained by means including a tubular retaining bar 55 secured across the port and which is adapted to be installed with the aid of the ram. Although in the construction shown in the aforementioned patent two such tubular retaining bars are employed, the present container, which is of a smaller size, is so proport-ioned that a single retainer is sufiioient, where convention-al household rubbish and many other materials, are to be handled, although of course a plurality may be used depending upon the material to be handled. I preferably also employ a canvas cover (not shown) over the port to prevent small loose items from dropping out.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the retainer bar 55 is positioned somewhat below the center of the port. This position, which is not critical, was adopted because it corresponds to the position of the lower bar holder on stan dard compactors of the type shown in my aforementioned patent, and such positioning has proven effective for retaining assorted rubbish, as indicated, in containers of 8 to 12 cubic yard capacities proportioned substantially as shown and which correspond to the proportioning commonly used in the trade for drop bottom containers designed for non-compacted loads. The retainer 55 may comprise a standard heavy walled pipe. It is slightly shorter than the distance betweenv the jarnbs 25, and when in the holding posit-ion it registers with holes 56 in the jambs 25, and also with outspaced coaxial holes 58 in bracket plates 60 which extend forwardly from the side walls 10. The plates 60 are secured as by welding to walls 10 and are also firmly braced as by gussets 62. When the retainer 55 is moved to its aligned closing position by means of the ram, a rod 65 is projected therethrough, and through the openings 56, 58, and projects from the latter openings. Bar 65 is provided at one end with a head which overlies the bracket 68, and at the other end is threaded to receive a nut 66, so that when the retainer 55 and rod 65 are installed and nut 66 is tightened, the rod 65 not only holds the retainer 55 in position but ties the side walls it) against spreading.

During use the container remains grappled to the compactor and with its parts in the condition shown in FIG- URE 1, the sill 28 being secured in the aligned position in which it also holds the bottom panel 30 closed, and

the container is filled and pressurized by the compactor in the usual manner and as disclosed in my aforementioned patent. It will be noted that at such time the nuts 52 at the extremities of tiebar 48 are tightened, providing effective additional tying of the side walls near the bottom front corners. After the loading is completed, the retainer 55 and the rod 65 are installed in the manner described, and a canvas or sheet cover may also be applied to the port. The closed container is then ready for removal by known vehicular means. Such vehicular means are provided with lifting apparatus adapted to hoist the containers by chain lift means engageable with the hook members 35, which. are located in accordance with standard practice. The closed container is then transported to a disposal site, where the conventional truck hoisting means lifts the container and projects it over the desired dump site. When so elevated and ready for dumping, the container is supported from its rear wall, as by means (not shown) engaged in the supporting brackets (not shown) on the back wall of the container and the hooks 35 are freed by slacking the chain or cable means engaged with hooks 35 so that the bottom panel 30 is free to swing downwardly. The locking means previously described is normally released while the container is still hanging on hooks 35, by loosening the nuts 52 and swing ing the sill 28 outwardly far enough so that the bar 48 moves out of the slot 51 and sill 28 moves clear of overlying relation to blocks 45. The bottom panel 30 will at tach sill 28 and side panels 33 is then free to swing downwardly as indicated in FIGURE 2 as the chain or cable is slackened, permitting the load to drop from the bot: tom of the container. The bottom is reclosed with the aid of the same chain lift of the vehicle after dumping, refastening of the bottom being easily effected by swinging the sill 28 back to overlie the blocks 45 and refastenlug nuts 52.

It will be noted that when the sill 28 is in the closed position, it is located several inches above the bottom of the container. Inasmuch as the entire contents of the container are pressurized, the tendency of the load to re-expand exerts outward pressure upon sill 28 when the container is filled, and such pressure assists opening by tending to swing the sill outwardly and release the look as soon as the nuts 52 are loosened. A substantial portion of the load, including the part which has thus re-expanded, is locatedbelow the retainer 55. Because of the weight of such material, and the fact that the mixed rubbish is intertangled and includes elements of various sizes, the re-expansive effort of the load cannot cause enough of the load to overhang the retainer 55 and the back sill 37 to cause the load to hang up. Since the back sill 37 is angular, the load if relatively homogeneous or tightly intertangled, or if it includes a relatively large amount of material of substantial size, tends to slide forwardly and rock downwardly and forwardly around the retainer 55. I have found by experiments conducted prior to the development of this invention with con tainers having permanently positioned sills in place of the displaceable sill 28, that with such a construction the expansive elfort of the load causes many types of loads to hang up between the fixed front sill and the rear sill 37, so that the contents will not discharge, whereas with the arrangement herein disclosed such difficulty is eliminated. The need for a fixed bottom sill to act as a tying member, to hold the side walls against the spreading effort to the compacting forces and the reaction forces, is overcome by providing, in addition to the tying means alford-ed by side panels 33 and tiebar 48 (which remain effective while the bottom is closed), the supplement-a1 tying efiect of the rod 65, which during use of the container is installed before the tying etfect of bar 48 is released. This also insures against the side walls moving outwardly far enough to bind against the side plates 33 of the drop bottom structure.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope of fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A container for compacted loads and having integrated top, rear and side walls defining a fixed body, means defining a ramming port occupying a substantial proportion of a front wall area, and framing means reinforcing the port and including a bottom sill, side jamb and top header portions rigidly carried by said body, characterized by a drop bottom hinged to the body along a line appurtenant to the lower edge of the rear wall, said sill being carried by said bottom and movable toward and away from aligned cooperative relation with respect to said jamb and header portions during hinging movement of said bottom.

2'. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said sill is movable relatively to the drop bottom toward and from the hinge line of the latter, and means for securing the bottom in and releasing it from a closed position relatively to the body in response to such movement of the sill toward and from the hinge line.

3. Means as defined in claim 1 wherein the sill is movable relatively to the bottom toward and from the hinge line of the latter, and releasable holding portions movable with the sill for securing the sill and bottom and tying the side walls and side jamb portions against forces tending to spread them apart.

4. In combination with means as defined in claim 1, removable means for tying the side walls against unwanted movement in a separating direction including a tying member and means for securing the same across and parallel to said port in rigid relationship to the side walls and in position to block escape of material through the port.

5. In combination with means as defined in claim 3, removable means for tying the side walls against unwanted movement in a separating direction including a tying member and means for securing the same across and parallel to said port in rigid relationship to the side walls and in position to block escape of material through the port.

6. A container as defined in claim 4 in which said sill is also movable toward and from the hinged axis, and additional tying means for opposing unwanted movement of the side walls in a separating direction comprising tying portions movable with the sill to and from a tying operative relationship with respect to the side walls during such movement of the sill.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1952 Dempster 294-69 6/ 1960 Dempster 232-43.1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,387,878 June 11, 1968 Robert J. Pioch It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 25, after "bar" insert 48 Column 4, line 12, after "but" insert also line 44, "slot" should read slots lines 45 and 46, "will attach" should read with attached Signed and sealed this 21st day of October 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, J r.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

